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Integration of over 5,000 militia into state security kicks off in Jubbaland

Storyline:National News, Security
Personnel of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) Police Component carry out registration of the Darwish forces to integrate them into the Jubbaland state security forces in Kismayo, Somalia on 27 March 2018. AMISOM Photo

More than 5,000 darwish militia in Jubbaland are in the process of being integrated into the state security in line with the National Security Architecture approved by the Federal Parliament last year.

Amisom kicked on the biometric registration of the militia members Friday targeting over 5000 from Gedo, Lower Juba and Middle Juba regions.

The biometric registration entails collection of key personal data including photographs and fingerprints of each member of the group, Amisom said in a statement.

“This is in line with AMISOM and UN programme aimed at developing the force into a police force in Jubbaland that will be mandated to keep law, order and security in the state,” Martin Abili, the AMISOM Police Coordinator in Kismayo explained.

Abili said the militia will be integrated either into the Jubbaland state’s police force, the paramilitary or the Somali National Army.

The exercise, which supports the development and strengthening of Somalia’s national security institutions, is part of the security sector reform as envisioned in the National Security Architecture which was incorporated into the grand Security Pact launched during the London conference last May.

Mr. Adan Yusuf Sala, the Director General of Jubbaland’s Ministry of Security lauded the cooperation between AMISOM and Jubbaland state in the realization of this milestone.

The Jubbaland Force Commander Brigadier General Adan Mohamud Ibrahim described the exercise as “critical” for the region. “We are ready to avail all the troops everywhere, so that they will be registered,” he stated.

He called on AMISOM, the UN and other partners to continue supporting them in the completion of the Operational Readiness Assessments, which is an essential component for ‘right-sizing’ and reforming the Somalia National Army (SNA) and the Somali Police Force.